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Marvel Ultimate Alliance

ultimate alliance

Before Marvel’s Spider-man (PS4) , Marvel was pretty hit or miss with video games. So when we got a game that pretty much promised an Avengers level of epic, spanning most of the Marvel universe.

Ultimate Alliance is a huge dungeon crawler that begins with a massive attack on S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters by the nefarious Dr Victor Von Doom. In his final desperate moments, Nick Fury has non other than Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, and the friendly neighborhood Spider-man to help push back the assault. As the story moves on we go to venture into Atlantis, Asgard, and Hell facing off against Doom’s army, Mephisto’s hellish army, Loki, and even Galactus as you’re joined by Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, Ms Marvel, Spider-Woman, Ghost Rider, Dr Strange as well as many others. Can all these heroes triumph over the machinations of Dr Doom?

I have to admit, I’m not a fan of dungeon crawlers but there were times I was addicted as hell to this game. When you’re knee deep in badass robots, demons, or mythical creatures with a four man group of your favorite heroes, it can be really sweet. The roster is impressive for it’s time and I like the bonuses you get from putting certain characters together like the F4 or X men. What puts me off is how unbalanced some of the characters were: shouldn’t Iron Man or Dr Strange be way stronger than Deadpool or Human Torch? Certain characters were way stronger than they should’ve been while the OP characters were toned way down. Game-play gets monotonous but the sights and cameos help dilute the fact. My favorite thing may be the beautiful loading screens dedicated to each character. In the end, if your a Marvel fan or fan of those kinds of games like Diablo, this is worth a shot and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Celebrity Deathmatch: the game

deathmatch game

When we were kids, didn’t all of us get a bit giddy when our favorite movies or shows got a game? Later in life, we see the ploy and can see it as the usual cash grab it is. There are exceptions of course, like Alien: Isolation but those feats of effort and love are rare. And then we get the game for Celebrity Deathmatch

It’s a basic fighter with an incredibly small roster and very limited play ability. A problem with a game like this, based on celebrities is that its going to feel dated and here is a prime example: we got celebs like Anna Nicole Smith, Mr T, Marilyn Manson, Ms Cleo, and the Frankenstein monster to name a few; it’s also a point I have to say I played this in 2004 and even then it felt pretty dated then, let alone how ancient it would feel now. There are some really funny movements, especially Ron Jeremy’s moveset and sicking Ann Nicole’s dog on people to hump there leg’s. The controls are crap; you mash buttons and hope for the best. The weapons are meh except for the chainsaw which is nice for hacking limbs off. There is some gore, but nowhere what you would expect sadly. The campaign is a series of episodes, 3 fights each for 6 episodes total so you can finish the game super quick. In the end, the game ain’t really worth it for fans or gamers and it’s worth skipping. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn

evil dead 2

As much as I love the original Evil Dead I admit, I never really set out to follow Ash’s further adventures. I wasn’t a fan of how the series slipped into comedy at a slope but I had a chance to sit down and judge for myself if I was being too hasty. Was I right?

We begin the story with an alternate retelling of events from the first movie: a much more rugged, manly Ash and his love Linda crash a vacant cabin one picturesque weekend only to stumble on the book of the dead and the book proceeds to take her over. Where the last film leaves over, the demons won’t let Ash leave the cabin and Linda won’t stay dead. His mind is slipping as even his own flesh turns against him, forcing him to chop his own hand off with a chainsaw. To make matters worse, the daughter of the professor who translated the book and set this all into action is going to the cabin to see what became of her parents. can Ash pull it together and live to see dawn?

While nowhere as creepy as the first movie, I do love how off the rails it goes. This movie’s greatest strength is just how creative a lot of the scenes are. My favorite maybe when Ash is trying to chase his severed hand and when he finally shoots it through the wall and he gets sprayed with what seems to be hundreds of gallons of blood, only to have time reset like it never happened. I did laugh a lot but I give the movie credit, it knows how to show some creepy shit and have it feel like slapstick comedy. Ash is a great horror icon and dare I say- groovy. I love the ending which sets up the batshit insanity that is Army of Darkness. Evil Dead 2 is a damn good horror comedy I recommend to new commers to the series and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mk11 gameplay reveal

You know what goes good with a snow storm? A warm drink, a toasty fire, and obscene amounts of gore. Above we got our first look at the latest Mortal Kombat and damn it’s impressive. I love that it brings back weapons and every character seems to have a nice blend of traditional moves as well as whole new ones. Skarlett particularly seems awesome as hell. I can’t wait to see the new Big Bad Guy in action. So far so gory ( yes, I went and made the pun.) and may the gaming gods help you kick ass.

John Wick 3 trailer

So we are going to see legendary badass John Wick take on the world this year. Seriously, I’m not kidding; spoiler for John Wick: Chapter 2 but at the end, pretty much the whole damn world wants his ass dead but he’s the damn “Boogeyman” and he ain’t going down without a fight as we see in the trailer. I have a lot of love and respect for this series and so far Parabellum looks like a good step in the right direction. May the gaming gods bring you glory and stop you from pissing off John Wick.

Spider-man: Far from Home trailer

This is a awesome time to be a Spider-man fan. Just as the hype I’ve been riding from Marvel’s Spider-man (PS4) was starting to die off, we get our first look at Far from Home, the sequel to Spider-man: Homecoming . The first question I have is whether this takes place before or after Avengers: Infinity War and the “Snap”; I personally think it’s before. Mysterio looks awesome rather surprisingly and I’m glad they seem to be sticking close to his real origin which could make for a interesting play. So far, it looks like more I loved from Homecoming and it should be a good opening to Phase 4. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Really different special editions

Being the nerd I am, I’ve watched many a different versions of a many different movies. Sometimes the changes are huge and even change the outlook of the film itself. Here are a few examples of movies I’ve seen where the special editions I’ve seen were pretty damn different, starting with something special listed above…

1. Return of the Jedi –

Most of what is altered considerably was altered in the very beginning with Jabba’s Palace and the finale and damn it hurts a damn solid movie. In the original, Jabba’s Palace is much more dark and sinister where as the special edition lingers on the scenes with a couple random musical numbers and comedic parts with CGI that sticks out like a sore thumb. The tone of the end is more somber with sad music and scenery from the prequels to connect the series. While not crippling, these changes are cringe worthy…

suicide squad 3 2. Suicide Squad –

Here we see much of what was infamously cut, much of it was for Jared Leto’s Joker. I personally found these scenes a huge improvement and added a lot of depth to his character as well as showed a better arc for Harley. Meanwhile, a lot of the team’s interactions are fun and add to the better aspects of the movie. While this version doesn’t fix all the movie’s problems, it goes together better and I say better than the theatrical.

blade runner fc 3. Blade Runner –

Here I’m afraid I can’t say much from personal experience. I’ve only watched the Final Cut, but there are famously 2 others and multiple endings. I’ve been told by many that have seen multiple versions ( while I can’t see I know anyone who has seen all of them.) that they feel pretty different.

alien 3 4. Alien 3 –

We come to the last and most extreme I’ve seen. The Assembly Cut of Alien 3 adds a lot different, including a reshot opening, a new host for the alien, a big side-plot that adds some good meat in the 2nd act, and the overly dark tone feels more evened out. This is my favorite for obvious reasons and for those who hated the theatrical, I definitely recommend this.

This is just a small list but all pretty different between versions. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Of mice and men

of mice and men

So to start the year 2019, let’s begin with a classic: Of Mice and Men, a story most American kids nowadays are forced to read in middle school or high school English class much like Animal Farm and Lord of the flies (usually if you got a cool teacher or were an honor student).

Of Mice and Men follows two migrant workers and traveling partners and companions making there way to a much needed job during the depression. Life isn’t easy for George, the thoughtful and ill tempered of the two, who just wishes he can live a life less hard, put some roots down- but life with Lenny isn’t so easy. Lenny is a gentile giant with the mind of a child and some pretty harsh strength to match. Lenny’s curious and cumbersome nature makes life harder in a hard time but a dream George keeps telling Lenny keeps them afloat- a dream of a home and stability, and rabbits…but it’s with that sad truth George realizes some dreams are only that as he faces the hardest choice of his life after trouble comes for the last time…

Before I go onto my final verdict, I’m stating this now: this book is not for everyone. 11 year old Torsten though this book was long, drawn out and boring as shit. 25 year old Torsten found it a quick read that nearly brought a tear to his eye. It is slow paced, despite the actual minuscule size of the book but damn it hits you in the feels by the end. It is better a second time around because the foreshadowing becomes rather ominous and foreboding which I really liked and the ultimate tragedy hits harder. Overall I can’t recommend this book to everyone but if you want a great tragedy, definitely give this short but powerful book a go. May the gaming gods let you pet the rabbits…

Captain Marvel trailer 3

I keep getting impressed every trailer I see for the upcoming Captain Marvel. To help you catch up on the latest MCU installment, here’s a link to my reviews on Captain Marvel trailer 1 and Captain Marvel trailer 2 ; while we didn’t see her in the Avengers 4 trailer , it’s safe to say she may be the key to beating Thanos. The only issue I see is I can see the MCU formula prominent so I can see it feeling much like the others but no doubt it’ll be epic as hell. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Alien: Blackout trailer

Shit. Just Shit… It’s a rare feat to have my hopes crash and burn in less than a minute than the unfortunate news Alien: Blackout is going to be a mobile game. Supposedly there is a main PC/ console game in the works but Blackout is going to pretty much be FNAF with the Xenomorph. With 2019 being the 40 year anniversary of the original Alien, we are getting a new graphic novel, this game, and something else to be determined so needless to say, along with most of the Alien fan base, I’m pretty pissed. There’s going to be Amanda Ripley but it isn’t going to supposedly be a Alien: Isolation sequel which blows and after the disappointment of Alien: Covenant , the anniversary of a sci-fi horror legend seems to be going as a whimper sadly. May the gaming gods bring you glory.